Absinthesalon

82 Rose St, Fitzroy | 2017

“Beneath the vibrant, punk-collage décor, the salon was designed very much to reflect the traditional absinthe culture of Paris’ Belle Epoque. With hand crafted water fountains, beautiful glassware and even our trademark tulips alluding to Oscar Wilde’s Parisian escapades, we aimed to immerse guests in the best elements of absinthe’s storied past. In our garden, green lights mounted in old water tanks shine through prison-like bars to reflect absinthe’s survival through its long period of criminalisation, beckoning customers into an ethereal and dreamlike space.

The chairs and tables were chosen to be reminiscent of a traditional Parisian street-side café, with the subdued lighting and blind passages evoking a time before stark electrical illumination. The only things left out have been elements of absinthe’s modern imitators, so no flaming cocktails or shooters at the bar. We remain, in that regard at least, staunch traditionalists.” – Words by Rebecca Lombardo